Gambling is becoming an increasingly popular form of entertainment, offering gamblers many game alternatives, including numerous table games, such as poker, blackjack and roulette, and various electronic gaming devices, including slot machines, video poker devices, video keno devices and video blackjack devices (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "slot machines"). Slot machines are an important source of income for the gambling industry. Accordingly, casinos constantly search for new gaming strategies and features to distinguish their slot machines from competitors in the industry, and to provide additional incentives for slot machine players to play longer and to return to the casino on their next trip.
Unlike table games, where a group of players typically play against one another or against the casino (often referred to as the "house"), conventional slot machines have traditionally been an individual game. A number of table games, such as blackjack and craps, encourage a team-like mentality, where a group of players play against the house. The success of slot machines can be attributed, at least in part, to their passive and isolated nature, relative to the more competitive and social nature of table games. Many potential players, however, are averse to the isolation typically associated with slot machine play and the inability to interact with other people for help or moral support.
In order to increase the maximum award that can be profitably awarded by an individual slot machine, many casinos have introduced progressive slot machines. Progressive slot machines are a group of linked slot machines that permit players to win a relatively large progressive jackpot prize, in addition to their nonjackpot winnings at each individual gaming machine. The progressive jackpot prize is determined by allocating a portion of the money wagered at each individual linked slot machine to the progressive jackpot prize sum. Thus, the progressive jackpot value continues to increase until a player hits the progressive jackpot prize at one of the linked machines. Progressive slot machines may have the unintended result of encouraging a quasi-competitive environment where players compete against each other for the progressive jackpot prize. Once the progressive jackpot prize is awarded to a player, the progressive jackpot prize amount is reset, typically to a predefined initial progressive jackpot prize value.
Unfortunately, however, progressive slot machines have experienced only marginal success in increasing slot machine play at many casinos, since the large progressive jackpot prize is typically awarded infrequently. In addition, the play of progressive slot machines continues to be primarily an individual game. Even though progressive slot machine players compete, to a certain extent, for the progressive jackpot prize, the primary competitive component of progressive slot machine play remains the player against the individual slot machine. Furthermore, to the extent that progressive slot machine players compete for the progressive jackpot prize, there is no cooperative effort among players or other positive social interaction. Thus, it has been found that the competitive and social aspects of progressive slot machine play do not fully satisfy the expectations of many players.
In addition, while playing progressive or conventional slot machines, players can easily hit an "unlucky streak" and lose a significant amount of money in a short period of time. There is currently no effective way for players to protect themselves. The successful play of one progressive slot machine player, for example, will typically not help reduce the losses of other progressive slot machine players. Although gambling loss insurance programs are available, such programs are not widely utilized and require an advance payment that some players are reluctant to provide.
Sports are another popular form of entertainment, offering both active and passive sports enthusiasts many game alternatives. Many people, of course, are attracted to sports for their competitive and social aspects. Golf, for example, is often played in a tournament environment where players compete against one another, with many golf tournaments incorporating a team component. The popular "better ball" golf tournament format, for example, permits the team score for each golf hole to be the lowest number of strokes obtained by any team player for a given hole. Another variation is the "best ball" format, where the best field position of any team player on each stroke is utilized by all team players for the subsequent stroke. Thus, in both tournament formats, a group of players are able to play a round of golf as part of a cooperative team, competing against other teams. While the "better ball" format spreads the risk of one or more bad holes among all the players on the team, the "best ball" format spreads the risk of one or more bad strokes among all the players on the team.
As apparent from the above-described deficiencies with conventional slot machine systems, a need exists for a system that permits team play of slot machines and increases player interaction. A further need exists for a system that increases the competitive and social aspects of slot machine play. Yet another need exists for a system that spreads the financial risk associated with slot machine play among a plurality of players.